Roman Military Essay

Roman Military Essay

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Introduction

The Romans had established a great empire in their era. They succeeded in conquering all the territories of the Mediterranean. It was the strength of their military that enabled them to conquer vast lands. As their empire expanded, they felt the need of recruiting soldiers from the conquered territories. The issue was, however, how to make the new soldiers loyal, committed, and trustworthy to serve the Roman Empire for a life-time. This essay describes how the Romans used to train their soldiers, and what attractive offers they conferred on the new recruits, which helped them in building one of the most powerful armies in the human history.

Discussion

The expansion of the Roman Empire has been mostly attributed to their army. They were gifted with the visionary leaders whose foresight led them to modify the perceptions of their soldiers. Their army Generals knew well how to motivate their troops. The army was well-structured. The commanders were followed by obedient soldiers. The training was rigorous. The rules were observed by all. They had developed certain fighting techniques that helped them in gaining victories over their enemies. The soldiers belonging to other lands were offered attractions of stability, growth, and recognition in their careers. Ultimately, they were successful in unifying their armed forces who comprised a very diverse group of soldiers.

Julius Caesar was an exemplary military leader of the Roman Empire. The empire expanded to great extent in his time. He is credited for the rise of the Roman Empire. He could motivate his troops in the toughest war times. During an encounter of his army with the Germans, the soldiers gave pessimistic remarks. He gathered his soldiers of all ranks and showed resentment at the lack of spirit and courage in them. He recalled the time of their fathers and praised their bravery. He remarked that they had also confronted the Germans in the past. The spirit and bravery demonstrated by their fore-fathers should serve as an ideal for them. He further narrated that the German army had fought with the Helvetii many times and vice versa. The Helvetii forces had defeated the German army several times. He encouraged the soldiers by reminding them of their conquest over the Helvetii. If they could defeat the Helvetii, why they could not beat the Germans. The speech was impassionate, and it had a highly motivational impact on the soldiers. Their attitude changed, and they showed complete willingness to fight the enemy.

The Roman army had been organized efficiently. Their subordinates followed the instructions of their seniors without any hesitation. The fighting methods invented by the Roman army were superior to those employed by their enemies. The way the troops moved during a fight, their advancements and retreats, the attacking dimensions – all were remarkable. Josephus, who fought against the Romans in the Jewish War, became a part of the Roman army after he was imprisoned by them. He narrated that he had been following in the footsteps of the Romans while training his Jewish soldiers. He admired the firm determination of the Roman soldiers to win every battle. He praised the discipline observed by the Roman soldiers.

The main factor that contributed to the invincible power of the Roman army was the training given to the soldiers. They had hard drills every day that toughened with time. These exercises resulted in an army that had individuals having great physical strength. Vegetius, a Roman bureaucrat, gave his remarks about the military army in his book. He emphasized the use of scientific knowledge and approach in warfare. He insisted on making careful recruitments. He believed that the genetic factors had immense impact on the future performance of individuals. Soldiers who belonged to good families would remain true to their word. Individuals with rural background could fit the best in the harsh battlefield situations. An army with weak fighting skills could only serve as a prey to the enemy. The cowardice of soldiers could be substituted by the skills imparted to them during the pre-war trainings.

The Romans offered citizenship to the soldiers recruited from the conquered territories. They were given recognition of their services by giving them diplomas. The diplomas included a brief about their on-duty tours. The diplomas were in the form of metal sheets made of Bronze. Plaques were awarded in recognition of their services. The plaques were usually made of clay. The legion number and the specific self-identity symbols were written on the plaques.

Conclusion

The Romans built the strongest army of their time, which demonstrated great diversity. The reason behind their invincibility was using the scientific approach in warfare, recruitment and training. The strategy employed in unifying the diverse group of soldiers was to own them by offering citizenships. Their services to the Roman army were recorded and recognized. The result was a life-time commitment, loyalty, and service of the soldiers.